of birth, the other now lying beneath the nearby impoundment of Franklin Pierce Lake. Pierce lived at the homestead until 1834 when he married, with the exception of a seven-year span spent away for school, college, and law study. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1824, as the young Pierce and his friends were supporting Andrew Jackson for President, and returned to the family home in Hillsborough to study law. He moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the Spring of 1825 to work in the law office of Levi Woodbury. In March 1828, Pierce returned to Hillsborough and made his first formal political appearance to assist his father's campaign for governor at a town meeting. He returned to the family homestead in 1834 when he married Jane Appleton. Jane was never comfortable in Hillsborough, and the Pierces moved to Concord, New Hampshire, while Franklin was then serving in the state legislature, where they lived in a rented house while he established a new law partnership. On August 19, 1852, the town hosted a mass meeting and rally for Pierce's presidential campaign which drew an estimated 25,000 people with speeches and food. At the end of his single term, Pierce returned temporarily to the family homestead in June 1857. Preservation and current use The home remained in the Pierce family until 1925, when it was donated to the state of New Hampshire. It underwent restoration and renovation in the 1940s and the 1960s. The home has been designated a state park and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. The barn has been converted to a welcome center with displays and artifacts. The home is operated as a museum by the Hillsborough Historical Society. See also Franklin Pierce House (South Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire), where Pierce died (since demolished) Pierce Manse, Pierce's Concord home 1842–1848 List of residences of presidents of the United States List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 65: Pierce Homestead Presidential memorials in the United States References External links Franklin Pierce Homestead Historic Site New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Presidential homes in the United States Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Homestead Franklin Pierce Homestead Houses completed in 1804 Historic house museums in New Hampshire Museums in Hillsborough